Our first stop was “Dennis the Menace” park which was probably the only miss of the day: only mallards, Canada geese and gulls (never got close enough to ID). From there we went to the Monterey marina and the fishery pier there. It was crowded with divers and made me think fondly on my days of diving (it’s been a while). Then as we walked up the pier, Al pointed out my first new bird of the trip – a Pigeon Guillemot*, which was also my first alcid. I followed them around for a while, struggling to get nice shots of the uncooperative birds in tough light. Actually, the light was gorgeous but not when you’re shooting down from a pier. We spent a bit of time there then moved on to see what else was lurking. Turns out that a LOT of sea lions like this area: there were dozens in this little cove alone, along with a smaller number of harbor seals.

I’ve seen both species before but never together and never in quantities like this (Al commented later that he had never seen this many pinnipeds in Monterey before). So I took quite a few shots of these neat animals, who were laying on buoys, rocks and even the occasional boat. A harbor seal came up below me, looking eagerly for a handout, according to Al. After a short time, it seemed to figure out that I was fishless and dove into the cerulean waters.

On our way back to the car, I had a chance to watch a half-dozen more pigeon guillemots in the waters just below the pier, including one who was showing off what I’d guess was mating behavior (noisy little buggers!) and a California Gull* An extra treat was yet to come – in the marina just opposite of the car, a single cormorant swam happily among the boats – a gleaming blue eye stood out from the black feathers: a Brandt’s cormorant*!  Life list entry #3.

Monterey Bay Coast Guard Pier

Our next stop was the Coast Guard pier, a wonderful place to see a number of cool things: hundreds of sea lions everywhere, timid enough for approaching close enough to touch, of all ages – it was a wonder to see and experience. They were of all ages, and the young ones were undeniably cute. Further along we were greeted by a few seals, another few Brandt’s cormorants and a small flotilla of divers all along the jetty (I have to admit, diving among the sea lions/seals would be pretty cool). But the big payoff was at the end of the jetty: dozens of sea lions, including a huge bull and a nesting colony of Brandt’s cormorants. I had the privilege of seeing mated pairs building their nests on the rocks out of colorful seaweed and other debris pulled from the sea. The male would return with the seaweed, do a short presentation dance, bright blue throat patch extended and glowing in the light.  Then he’ d place the materials gingerly at the feet of the female, where they nuzzled and worked together to put it in just the right place. Hard to describe how beautiful it was watching them work to make their nest in what seemed like a tenuous spot on the bare rocks amongst the huge sees lions.

Monterey Bay / Fisherman’s Wharf

Al was determined to help me find the other new cormorant for me, the pelagic cormorant, so after checking in with Patty, we walked along the bay toward Fisherman’s Wharf. Little did we know that this short side trip would actually be more productive than just the pelagic cormorant (which we never saw despite several false positives). Waking past the picnic area, I noticed a number of small birds flying back and forth among some trees and something made me stop. I’m glad I did, as those little birds were my first chestnut-backed chickadee*; a half- dozen of the little auburn-accented songbirds flitted in and out (and just out of sight) amongst the branches. But a few pssts later, I was rewarded by a couple of them coming out into the light on the end of some branches. A second bonus was when a couple of white crowned sparrows joined the fun. I’ve seen these tons of times but rarely in full breeding plumage, and I figured I’d try to get some shots. Turns out that these were a coastal sub species – Nuttall’s white-crowned sparrow*.

After this short sidestep, we continued on along the bay. The place was gorgeous, a meeting of jagged islets and bright blue green water, coupled with a gentle breeze that complemented the near perfect temperatures coming off the bay. We spent some time investigating several cormorants on a small rocky islet in a cove, desperately trying to make one a pelagic cormorant, to no avail. But my eye caught another shallow in the water nearby, which turned out to be a Pacific loon*, another new species (#5 so far, incl. the WCSP sub species).

Monterey Bay Aquarium

At this point, Al is getting a little bent at not having produced a pelagic cormorant for me (which wouldn’t be a lifebird, but would be my first GOOD look). In my mind, I was more than satisfied with what we HAD seen, so anything else would be gravy but he was determined, so we tried one last ‘can’t fail’ spot – the platform at the entrance of the famed Monterey Bay Aquarium. Along the way, I got to see Steinbeck’s famous “Cannery Row” and the rest of the nice town of Monterey. A first stop just short of the aquarium produced only Brandt’s cormorants and more pigeon guillemots, and we hurried to the aquarium. Sadly there wasn’t time to go into this landmark, but I was having a good enough time regardless.

We walked to the end of the canterlevered platform and quickly spied more Brandt’s cormorants and pigeon guillemots, but none of or target bird. Suddenly Al yelled,” There! With the green back!” I got a brief glimpse of an ebony bird with green accents, too fast to be sure as it sailed under the platform beneath us, but definitely leading. Sure enough, it or another bird came sailing out and this time I definitively saw the green tint and white patches on the wings that were defining field marks for a pelagic cormorant*. Now to get a picture, which was tougher as these seabirds moved quickly. After several near successes, I decided to see if I could spy one underneath the platform – and was surprised to find a male preening no more than 5′ from me!

It was a beauty in its own way, the green-black plumage iridescent in the sun, giving way to the bright red face of a breeding adult. The KALEIDESCOPE of colors was both beautiful and garish at the same time, brighter and more eye- catching than either the double- created or Brandt’s cormorants. Three only problem was that with my 300mm lens, I was actually too close to fit the whole bird in the frame! So I moved to the another side opposite of where I had been, trading proximity and optional light for a full-body shot.

A bonus moment was our chance to catch the attention of some other aquarium visitors (probably in part due to my hanging precariously over the railing to get the best angle). Al and I were able to interest two couples in the bird, explaining a little about it and maybe planting a little seed of interest in birding.

Pacific Grove

Now that I had my trophy shot of a pelagic cormorant, Al and Patty prompted me for anything else I might want to see. It took only a short moment for me to rattle off a short list: Heerman’s gull, black oystercatcher, black turnstone. It took them only a few seconds more to come up with just the place and off we went up the road to Pacific Grove. The drive alone would have been worth it for the breath taking views of the Pacific ocean, deep blue ocean crashing in frothy chaos against the rocks of the shoreline. I was captivated by the scenery, trying to capture it on my phone’s camera since my Nikon lens could never capture the breath of what I was seeing through the narrow aperture.

We then made our way to a particular pull off and Al and I trekked onto the rocks to search for the trio of birds I had mentioned. Sure enough, a pair of mated black oystercatchers* appeared on the small island just beyond the spit of land we were on, the black feathers seeming to absorb as much light as their bright orange bills reflected. And nearby wandered not the requested black turnstones but something just as nice: a trio of surfbirds* which had lingered past their normal migration date. Other birds we encountered included numerous western gulls of all ages, a single 3rd-year California gull, a whimbrel and a Caspian tern. No Hearmann’s gull but a responding success nonetheless.

Monterey Bay preserve

Our last stop before lunch was part of the Monterey Bay preserve near Moss’s Landing. Housing a marina and access to the ocean, it also turned out to be one of the best spots to see the nearly famous California sea otters – nearly 30 strong, these large (~3 – 4′ long) mammals were a sight to see laying out and playing in the bay near the sea lions and seals nearby. Lucky for us, there was even one otter on the beach sunning himself (I’m going to pretend that’s all he was doing and he wasn’t sick).

Seeing the otters was an unexpected pleasure, but hardly the only one as a Clark’s Grebe* popped up amidst the otters and gave me a good show as well. Then, after several minutes taking pictures of these magnificent and amusing critters, we were off to the locally famous Phil’s Fish Market for lunch, with a quick stop to take a couple pictures of a pair of otters (mother/child) who were lounging in the marina on the way. Sadly, it was then time to head back as I had a workshop that night, and we stopped only for Al to show me a Eurasian Collared Dove that he and Patty told me would be in a particular 50-square-foot parking lot; true to their word, there it was (with a second one) almost as though they had dialed in their order.

Overall, I had a GREAT time in the Monterey area – the combination of awesome weather, great wildlife, good food and good friends (who were GREAT guides) really made the day a pleasant experience throughout.

Unlike year’s past, HOlympics V did NOT start off in the early morning with a form of golf. Instead, we arrived a decent hour (or half-past decent, since half of the people were late), and started our day with the outdoor events, as the weather was predicted to be in the mid-to-high 90′s with high humidity. Luckily, the outdoor ‘sports’ had been truncated anyway, leaving us with horseshoes, basketball shooting and target shooting (using a BB gun and target taped to a tree. We’re high class all the way). Even at 10 a.m., it was evident that doing outdoors stuff early was a great idea – it was already sweat-dripping hot and even the beers couldn’t keep us fully cool.

I wasn’t expecting much out of the first three events – I knew that I would do decently at horseshoes, but the BB gun competition was more of a crap shoot (get it?) and I’m normally ATROCIOUS at shooting hoops. But I actually did pretty well at hoops, which surprised me though my expectations elsewhere were pretty on the mark.

And away they go

The second segment of the day involved the ‘away’ games: go-kart racing and bowling. So, we packed up in 3 cars to grab some food and then get in some souped-up, Indy-style go-karts to race around the track for the chance to have the fastest lap time. I started near the back of the pack but had a great time as I darted in and out of the slower and less-experienced drivers (I have all of 3 times under my belt now), garnering the 4th best lap time of the group. I know that it sounds silly, but those go-karts are quite fun to race around the circuit, skidding around turns and accelerating around the straight-aways as you gun toward slipping past your opponent.

Bowling … well, we weren’t quite as successful at bowling – mostly because our ‘planning’ for this even was a little loose, and it turns out that Saturdays are league days. Hence, we weren’t able to get a lane and complete this event. Note for next year … plan ahead.

Back to the Arena

Thus, it was back to the house for the indoor events: ping pong, darts, foosball and beer pong, followed by our annual HOlympics Hold ‘Em Poker tournament event. I was struggling early with my scores, but this was my chance to shine. I’m usually a contender in darts, have never finished less than 3rd in poker and figured that my college days would have me prepped for beer pong. Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad.

Ping Pong: Easily my weakest event – I don’t think I’ve EVER won a game at this event. And this year was no exception as I lost 21-11 in the first round. Then I faced our overall foosball champion in the first round, and lost 5-3. Ouch – two first round outs. Well, at least I had my strong events coming up. Or so I thought. The first one up was beer pong, and I was up when Gary came out of nowhere with 3 straight hits. I came back but not enough as he upset me in the first round (I felt only slightly less bad when the youngest of the competitors – an avid beer ponger – also lost to Gary). So, 3 indoor events and 3 first-round bounces. Not good.

But I salvaged the day in my two strongest events. I sailed through the competition in darts, winning our Cricket-style games fairly handily to run the table and take first place. Then came the drunken spectacle that was poker. Drunken, at least, from one player’s less-than-sober perspective, that is. We were all remarkably un-drunk, but one player was … well, laying down at the table. And yet he still finished 2nd … to me. So, I ended the night with two 1st-place wins, but it wasn’t enough to pull me out of 5th place, 0.5 points behind the person ahead of me.

Well, that’s just incentive for next year…

The Official Tally

Event Winners

• Basketball: Jim
• Horseshoes: Joe
• Target Shooting: Jim
• Go-Karts: Steve
• Bowling: n/a
• Ping Pong: Krishna
• Beer Pong: Gary
• Darts: Marty
• Foosball: Steve
• Poker: Marty

Final Standings

1. Name – Points
2. Jim – 64.5
3. Fred – 52.5
4. Steve / Dave (tie) – 50.5
5. Joe – 50
6. Marty – 49.5
7. Krishna – 45.5
8. Gary – 42.5
9. Josh – 34.5
10. Austin – 31

Other Fun Stuff

• Best Star Wars Remakes
• Review of the Force Unleashed – I want this game…
• Tiltviewer – interesting photo viewing app
• What Millionaire Athletes Can Do With Their Money – good article, though a bit older (I’m behind on links)
• Baseball Boss – interesting app if you’re a baseball fan

“The call came tonight, and I’m one my way to Vancouver for the transplant. Hopefully I’ll have my laptop down there soon, and be able to stay in touch. Wish me well. There’s a longer explanation here.”

Get Well, Jim!

I met Garnite on Flickr not too long after I started putting up photographs that were actually worth seeing. I didn’t know much about him at the time, just that he was an obviously kind-hearted gentleman who was quick with a joke or a pun, was always quick to compliment but slow to accept them, always replied to questions on your own photostream (so you wouldn’t have to search out a reply) … oh, and he had a deep unappreciation of cats. Shari also quickly got to know, admire and care for this man who we had never met, had never even spoken to live.

Jim has always been helpful, regardless of what is asked of him. When I was looking for native art styles from the Vancouver area for a email project I was working on, Jim was able to direct me to some really good resources for that artwork. When I was planning a trip to Vancouver with Shari (which unfortunately fell through), he gave me a lot of great information, helpful links and even sent me local information on sites and history of the area (mainland and island). And, of course, we shared many conversations, jokes and comments back-and-forth regarding birds.

Jim’s stream of work was – and is – always a joy to see. Whether giving us the latest on his eagle pal, Beethoven, or counting the mergansers or herons, or just admiring the beauty of his surroundings, you can always count on great pictures coupled with his wit – and the more-than-occasional bad pun. See some of my favorites here, here, here, here and here (the second ‘extra’ picture down). I’ve laughed many times when visiting his photostream – one of the few that I try to visit every few days.

When I was heading to Vancouver last November, I tried to make plans to get together with some friends of mine in the area: Greg7 and Jim. Unfortunately, I was told that Jim wasn’t able to make it because – as I was let in on – he had, and still was, suffering from major lung disease brought on from inhalation of various fibers and chemicals during his years as a fisherman and shipbuilder. More recently, he was going downhill while waiting for a lung transplant. I got to speak to him for the first time while I was there, and he was apologetic (though there was no need) and his voice and demeanor are every bit as friendly and gregarious as I had expected. Though I never met the man in person, I still consider him a friend.

Getting the Message

So, back to Saturday morning and getting that message. I immediately clicked over to read his account – Garnite’s Last Post (for now) – and sent him an email wishing him luck (I should have left a comment – duh!). I knew that this was big and risky for him, but that the upside meant that he could start doing all of those things that he had been missing. Jim and Linda,
If only you knew how many HUNDREDS of folks are keeping you both in our thoughts and prayers DAILY if not HOURLY. -
Christine Scott (christinescott007) I anxiously awaited some news about his status, hoping he would pull through. I was – and I am – not alone. I know that Jim is well-liked – how could he not be – but I never realized HOW well liked he is. That same image has had almost 6,000 views and 500 comments since he put it up. Not only that, but many in the Flickr community have flocked to his photostream to wish him well; there’s been a group devoted to him (Garnite’s Cheerleaders) and another group has a discussion dedicated to him, a ‘founder’ of the group. More impressive than this upwelling of support is that fact that many coming and wishing him well never knew him at all – but they were moved enough by others to come add their support. That, more than any other, is a sign of a great man.

The Hope That Almost Didn’t Happen

As it turns out, this procedure almost finished before it started – and that part of this life-saving event was only possible due to the kindness of strangers. From what I’ve read in reports, all of the 14 planes and helicopters that the B.C. Transplant Society counts on to transport donated organs were unavailable at the time the organs became available. But telephone provider Telus stepped in and donated their plane to make an emergency run to a rural location to get the organs and have them back to Vancouver inside the incredibly short 4-hour window of viability the organs had.

From myself, Shari and the large group of Garnite’s friends a heartfelt thank you for the folks at Telus for making this miracle possible.

And The Show Goes On

From the latest reports, I know that Jim is doing well. After some concerning moments, he’s off the respirator, getting back his colour (spelling for you Canadiens), and has even been talking. He’s got a long road ahead of him, but he’s a fighter and I know that he’ll push through, especially with the support of his wife Linda. Between the two of them, I have no doubts that he’ll be up and birding, taking pictures of Beethoven and those pesky kingfishers in no time. My only question is – when we go visit, who’s buying the beer?

Get Well Soon, Jim!

I read the stories, the mixture of pain and bliss, and realize that I could only hope to be the father he is. Daily tales of bedtime stories, bike rides around the neighborhood, longing for talks with Viv, balloon animals – the works. Whatever else he’s done, he’s poured everything he had into doing the right thing for them, and I respect the hell out of him for it.

I’m not making judgments on the situation between you two – but I thought that you should know that he has been, is and will always be the best father that your kids could ever have. And hopefully, someday, they’ll understand as well just how good he is and how much he cares.

I just thought you should know.

I think that almost everyone – at least most guys – has this person in their life: the friend who forwards on the NSFW materials like dirty jokes, videos of dumb people riding bikes into glass walls and, of course, risque images and/or videos.

In my case, it’s my friend “M” who sends me a varied number of odd things via email. Some of them are rather interesting (in a truly ‘things that make you go hmm’ sense, like the woman who could twirl tassles with each breast independently), some of it is generic and some of it – well, some of it makes you wish you could poke out your mind’s eye. I never know what’s going to show up in the spurts of 2-4 emails I get when he sends stuff on a variety of topics. Unlike my various relatives who send me urban legends, dumb jokes and cat pictures, his stuff usually is of a higher, focused quality, designed to tantalize or make me cringe purposely – he is, after all, a discerning porn buddy. Heck, some of the stuff is so amusing that my wife will actually stop over for a look before walking away, shaking her head and mumbling on the quality of my friends.

But it’s rare that something comes along that makes me pause. I usually open it, look/watch once (or less, depending) and then delete it, occassionally sending back a harassing email about how I never want to see an naked overweight Elvis convention photo again. But the email I got the other day was of a completely different nature.

FR: M
TO: Marty
SUBJECT: Isn't this your ex?


At first, I figured it would be a picture of a gorilla in a thong, more naked overweight Elvises or a toothless 95-year-old woman standing nude. But no – included was a couple pictures of a nude woman about my age in some rather suggestive poses. And I’ll be damned if it didn’t look like one of my ex-girlfriends who we both knew. It couldn’t really be her, right? Well, it sure looked a lot like her, the scenery (a kitchen) was a dead ringer for her house, and the name on the photos was a slight variation on her real name (what, she never heard of the porn star name generator?). As I looked closer – and how could I not – I got a feeling of … well, humor, horror, amusement and curiosity came over me. As much as I couldn’t believe it, I actually think it might have been her. It’s especially a surprise because she was a good Catholic girl, and this would be about the last thing I could have ever imagined her doing. Then again, she did do some modeling and wanted to get into it further; she was also quite a flirt and a show-off when we were at the beach. Who knows the truth, but it definitely was not what I was expecting.

Jeff: Well, I amporn buddy.
Susan: His what?
Jeff: In the event of Steve’s death, the first thing I will do, upset though I will be, is go straight to his house and remove all the pornography before his parents can find it. And he’s pledged to do the same for me. That’s how close we are!
Susan: You guys have seriously made arrangements to destroy your dirty mags?
Jeff: Who said destroy? “Remove.”
Susan: Yeah, well you wouldn’t keep them… would you?
Jeff: It’s a perk.
Susan: Oh, Jeff…
Jeff: That’s the beauty of it, you see? Your best friend’s dead, but there’s a bright side!

He later continues on how it really is a public service, because when you do this, you get out all of the incriminating evidence before the friend’s parents arrive – so that they can continue to believe that their son would never engage in such depravity. If you’ve never seen this series, you really need to – it just might be the funniest comedy ever done (at least the first 2 seasons).

Coupling – Series I   –   Buy on Amazon   –   Read My Review
Coupling – Series II   –   Buy on Amazon   –   Read My Review
Coupling – Series III   –   Buy on Amazon   –   Read My Review
Coupling – Complete Series   –   Buy on Amazon

1. What are you listening today?Mostly Keri Noble – I’m really digging her new stuff, a mixture of pop, folk and blues – but with some Brandi Carlile and 90′s rock (U2, Widespread Panic, Green Day) mixed in.
2. Name two things that you wish were different right now and why?The current administration and the Phillies bullpen.
3. How did you select the name Fairweather Zealot?My wife and I were talking about some issue that I was getting all fired up about, and she told me that I should just do something about it. I said that I would, but that by the time I could, I wouldn’t be fired up and less likely to go through with it. I was a zealot – but I was a fairweather zealot. I liked the name, and it stuck.
4. What got you interested in photography?Originally, I was a yearbook photographer in high school, but that didn’t really go anywhere and I became a snapshot photographer throughout most of college. When I moved to Colorado after college, I got REALLY into taking nature pictures, and bought some new equipment.Unfortunately, when I came back to the east coast, my roommate’s heroin-addict boyfriend stole all of my equipment, which put a damper on my shooting until my wife and I got back into it shortly after we got married. We started with birds, and have been expanding our repertoires (her more than me) since.
5. If you could be any type of bird, what would it be and why?Somehow, I knew that a bird question would come out of this. Any bird? I would have to say a Golden Eagle – massive, powerful and regal in a way that matches the bald eagle, but more of a hunter. Although there’s something to be said for the carefree nature of a chickadee, too.If you would like to participate in this meme:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

We had originally made plans to do this the week after Christmas but work schedules, the occasional office fire and other circumstances conspired against us (I blame Bush, as usual). But, finally, we arranged to meet at the The Standard Tap on 2nd and Poplar Streets. Teil had been talking the place up for months, so I was glad to finally get to try it out. To be honest, I liked it.

A Higher Standard

It’s a great cross between a neighborhood bar and an upscale Center City hang-out. Dark and without pretention, but clean and well-kept. A chalkboard above the medium-sized bar announces what beers are available and provides the menu. A kegerator dominates the backbar, while two hand-pumps are front and center in the bar itself (each offering nice beers: the Troegs Nugget Nectar and a nice ESA that was mighty tasty. The service was pleasingly surly, although they lightened up in later conversations – no small talk to be found at this place. And no TVs either – the whole place is devoid of the ubiquitious bar television scene, forcing people to actually talk to each other, albeit over the widely varying volumes of the eclectic jukebox. And to add another touch, in the main bar room is a wonderful painting of the leaves changing in the fall … over a concrete drainage ditch culvert. You have to like that touch.

I got to try a good number of different beers, too – always a good night in my book. I started with a Sly Fox Dark Lager which was a tasty beer, a little bitter on the initial sip and definitely an American-style dark lager more than a German one. I followed that up with the Appalachian Ale, which was a refreshing German Lager-style that the bartender was reminiscent of a German Pilsner. Despite the odd description, it was a good, tasty and easy-drinking beer. When we had dinner, I enjoyed that previously mentioned ESA who I can’t remember the brewer for the life of me – but it was mighty tasty.

I was a bit surprised by the prices for this place, but the food was fantastic – hanger steaks, tuna steaks ($22), calamari ($8), octopus ($9), bratwurst and sauerkraut ($20), mussels and smelts … not your normal pub fare by any stretch, but all delicious.

Among Friends

Anyway, it was good to see all of the folks from ‘the day’ again and catch up on what was going on at GSI and in general. I won’t share their comments, but it was interesting to hear that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It sounds like some good things are happening over there, which is good to hear – I still wish them well and think that they are really going to make quite a splash.

Teil was telling me about his latest work, on the new Ace Hardware site that they’ve been working on for a while. I had done a lot of the original IA work on it, but when the project lagged for a while, I went on to other things and someone else took over. Visually, I think it’s a great site and definitely incorporates a lot of the things that myself and others in the department were stridently pushing for in terms of usability and accessibility. Be sure to check out the store locater – good stuff.

And Mike and Kate seem to be doing well, too. Mike’s always been a good guy, and it’s great to seem him enjoying the stuff he’s doing there. Now he just needs to get himself either a Nikon D80 or Nikon D200 so that he can become a photography nerd like me and we can talk more photography when we get together.

I need to do this more

This is the second time I’ve been able to get out in recent weeks for some beers with friends – it’s seemed like forever since I’ve done so, and now I’ve been able to do it twice in two weeks. Last week, I checked out National Mechanics – my friend Jody helped create the site – which is another bar that has some cool charm to it. Now, I just need to convince my wife she wants to come into the city more often to join me … or at least understand when I’m always later than I say I’ll be.

More good stuff

• HTML Tags Illustrated
• Teacher wrongly convicted of showing students porn

Poker Tournament

The weekend started off with an annual poker tournament I play in. It was started by my buddy Jim’s father’s poker club to honor one of their fallen members who died on the way home from their monthly game. Despite them being the originators of the tourney, I’d say more than half of the players came from either Jim’s family or friends, including myself, Joe and Bake. This was the 4th annual tournament, and I finished 9th, 1st and 6th in the last 3 years, but THIS year was not my year to repeat. I played it technically well, but the odds were a real bitch – twice I lost on good hands to someone who just had a better hand that the odds said was unlikely. Between those two losses (to the same guy), I was crippled, and didn’t last long – I finished 34th out of 44. Jim and Joe were on either side of me (33rd and 35th, respectively), although Bake did much better finishing in the 20′s somewhere. Still, none of us get back our stake, and I handed over another $30 later in a cash game – which I did play poorly.

Rating: -1

Lightroom

Based on my wife’s accounting of using the newest beta of Lightroom (Beta 4.1), I decided to give it another try. And I have to say that I am very impressed. Adobe deserves kudos for listening to those who gave feedback and truly addressing it (they also did so with Adobe Bridge CS3′s problems). The interface is better, cleaner and easier to use. And the processing tools are fantastic, particularly the color management. Not perfect, but it is still a beta and I’m sure that they will fix more stuff later. I could write a user review of that, but that will have to wait. Suffice it to say, it was a nice piece of software to open and play with.

Sidenote: Adobe Bridge CS3

Although Adobe initially said that they wouldn’t release another beta version of Bridge – giving the ‘we’ll fix it before final release’ excuse – they actually surprised people with a second beta version. I have to assume that a) feedback was bad enough; b) they turned enough people off with that response; c) felt that it needed more testing after major fixes; d) all of the above, but regardless, they released it and I like the improvements. Particularly having the Batch Rename back at my fingertips in the right-click menu.

Rating: +1.5

NFL Championship Games

I have to admit, with all of my teams out of contention (Dallas, Philly and Denver), I went into rooting for the underdog mode. New England has been there a few times and … well, I just don’t like the Bears. In the NFC, it would have been a boon to New Orleans to have made it – both because of Katrina and because that team has heart (and has never made it to the Super Bowl). But they didn’t win – in fact, it was a hard game to watch- so it was the Bears. Then came the AFC game came on – and it was a great game. Finally, Peyton Manning has made it to the big game, an honor he richly deserved. He was quickly becoming this generation’s version of Dan Marino and John Elway, both of whom made it to the big game but could never win it. Now that Manning has made it, he needs to prove he can win the big one, like Elway did late in his career (After 2 thrashings earlier in his career, he finally won back-to-back Super Bowls) and not be the next Marino (0-2, both drubbings, in his 2 Bowl appearances).
So, I’ll be rooting for Manning and the Colts – because I’d like to see him win, and well … because I really do hate the Bears.

Rating: +1

Play

The weather wasn’t cooperating again this weekend, so I didn’t get to go out and do anything fun outdoors. Instead, I got the joy of picking up the trash that blew out of the squirrel’s nests all week. Frickin’ tree rats.

Rating: -1

Sci-Fi Channel (Geek Alert!)

Finally, Battlestar Galactica is back on the air! The first episode was pretty good, with a lot of good events that are sure to make the ‘second season’ very interesting. If you aren’t watching, you’re really missing out. We also checked out the new show, The Dresden Files, which is basically Harry Potter meets Law and Order. It was interesting, but it will take a couple of episodes to see if it’s worth it. On the flip side, neither of the Stargate series will be back until April. *sigh*

Rating: +0.5

Flickr

I got some great responses on recent shots, which is nice. I just wish I had a little more time to catch up with all of the friends that I’ve made on there.

Rating: even
Overall Weekend Rating: +1

And here’s some other fun stuff to check out

• MS Firefox – Scary thought.
• Girl is Human Slingshot – via Van

1. I have a nearly edetic memory about phone numbers that I’ve called more than twice. Over … well a long time since high school, I can still remember the phone numbers of most of my friends and girlfriends that lasted over a week. I even remembered a number of a buddy that I had called only once six years later – he was freaked.
2. Licorice, fennel, anise … anything that smells like black licorice will make me puke. It’s a bad memory from when I was a little kid getting 2-3 migraines a week, and needing Paragoric to get sick (it was the only way to make the migraines subside).
3. I’m a Cowboys fan in a Philadelphia Eagles stronghold. But I grew up down the road from Randy White, a Hall of Famer, when I was a kid. We met him before the 1977 season, and I followed the Cowboys throughout the year and their Super Bowl win over the Broncos – in which Randy was the co-MVP. It sealed my fate.
4. I have a nearly inexhaustible appetite for trivia, and retain the oddest facts. My wife discovered the rule for me remembering these trivial items – if it has absolutely no real bearing in my life, I’ll remember it forever.. However, I can’t seem to remember to turn off the lights 15 seconds after being asked to. Go figure.
5. I’ve broken every finger on my right hand, and every toe on my right foot. I was not in a car accident, and I don’t play street hockey with a concrete ball. I’m a klutz … and well, that wall deserved it.
6. If I think of a food item that I want, nothing short of dedicated unconsciousness will stop it short of actually getting it. I’ve been known to keep a craving for Vietnamese for a week, Chicken Satay for a fortnight and Hooter’s wings for months at a time. It drives my wife nuts – but at least she gives in now, because it’s just easier that way.

I have no clue who I’m going to tag for this, because to be honest most of the bloggers I know will ignore it. Hmmm… how about Shep, Bill, Dave, and Shari?

Personally, things are good – the birds are disappearing leaving me with few photography subjects, and I don’t know when I’ll have time to make it down to the shore to catch the migrating shorebirds before they leave. But aside from that, life is going well for the most part. We just got a new kitten (well, we’re renting with the option to buy, I guess), and she’s adorable:

The dogs are not quite sure what to make of her, with Miles mostly ignoring her and Oakley playing nursemaid most of the time. Miko, on the other hand, is not happy with the visitor/possible new addition. Still, she is pretty darn cute, and seems to have taken to us pretty quickly.

One of the only things I can really complain about is that I feel disconnected from my friends lately. I’ve seen almost no one, and even when I do get together for things like poker, I feel almost like I’ve missed everything. Heck, I didn’t even know that my best friend’s wife was pregnant until she was 5 months along – that kind of hurt. Most of it is my own fault – I’ve bailed on countless parties, get-togethers and other things, left early from places because my wife was sick and I wanted to get back, being too busy to actually get together. But it’s come back to bite me in the ass, and now it seems like I never get to see anyone – and I have a reputation for being fairly unreliable for invites. So, from here on out, I vow to be more reliable and social, and to actually reply to emails within 24 hours. Okay, 72.

One of my friends let it known the other day about how he was getting a divorce – and I have to tell you it was a shock. I’ve had friends divorce before (strangely, very few) but this was a shock to the system. I wish him luck and happiness, but it makes me appreciate my wife a little more, even with the struggles we’ve overcome in our marriage. Good luck, man, and there’s a Chimay with your name on it out there when you’re ready.

And last but not least, we have the global arena, that circus of Napoleonic rulers with more bluster and mispronunciations than brains. In this corner, we’ve got Kim Jong Il, ruler of N. Korea firing off nuclear weapons – in an effort to get America to talk to him. Isn’t that kind of like beating up a girls boyfriend in order to get her to notice you? Of all of the crazy rulers out there, this guy frightens me the most. Quadafi? Eunech. Chavez? Loco, but relatively harmless because people KNOW he’s nuts. Khomani – strangely, I see him as the most sane of the bunch, just not willing to sit back and take Bush’s shit when he knows it to be ridiculous. I don’t see him doing anything stupid, but more likely to just sit back while others rip into Bush’s regime, and smile the whole time. But “Dear Leader” is a whole other story. This guy’s touch with reality is somewhat between “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” – on a good day he might only be eccentric – on a bad day, delusional, misanthropic and schizophrenic. For him to have access to a nuclear bomb is more than a little frightening – not that he can hit us directly, but a guy like that is capable of all sorts of things that have no basis in reality. *shudder*

Of course, we have our own delusional leaders – we call them Republicans. From George “Iraq is going fine, the economy is strong and I am Batman” Bush to Dennis “What lurid emails?” Haskert, there is a collective political Alzheimer’s going on with the leaders of this country. Mark Foley is going to be the straw that breaks their back, and they have no one else to blame – he’s everything that the Republicans have been accusing the Democrats of being, and they’ve known about it for at least 2 years. As for Foley, himself: SHUT THE F#&K UP. I don’t care that you went into rehab – that isn’t curing you of sending innappropriate (to say the least) messages to 16-year old boys. Take responsibility for your own psychoses, and pay the piper. It’s funny, because I am a registered Republican, although I don’t recognize this party any longer. If I had my drothers, I swear I would register as a Whig (only because the Green Party and Libertarian candidates of late have been as scary as the Republican and Democrats).

Okay, end rant. Exit stage left. Get to work…